The decision to move to hospice care is meant to ensure good care and a dignified death for the patient.
Moving to hospice care is a major medical decision. The decision is made by the attending physician who discusses the decision with the patient. Identifying the hospice care stage is beneficial in terms of enabling those involved to focus on good symptom relief and providing the patient with a good end-of-life stage and a dignified death, while respecting the patient’s wishes.
When death is near, those treating the dying patient refrain from all examinations and procedures that put strain on the patient and do not benefit them. The focus is on monitoring the patient’s condition and adjusting the care provided to them accordingly.